When I get in conversations with people who choose not to attend church, I hear a variety of reasons  One which tends to come up often is the feeling that people in the church are judgemental; that if they go, they will be "sized up" or rejected for their lifestyle choices, appearance, or personal beliefs.  Sadly, there are enough stories going around of this actually happening at churches to cement the reputation.

But aren't Christians supposed to be judgemental?  Isn't the world operating in a manner contrary to the Bible?  Aren't we supposed to be the voice calling a sin a sin?  Even if we speak a countercultural message, aren't we supposed to speak God's truth...even if it hurts?

It's not that judging is a bad thing.  We do it all the time.  The problem is we stink at it.

We find it impossibly difficult to keep our need to elevate and validate our egos and beliefs out of the equation, which drives a wedge between ourselves and others when we try to judge.  And, we tend to completely forget that God is the judge and we, if called, are merely his messengers.  But we push God off the judgement seat an plop ourselves down on it, driving a wedge between ourselves and our sovereign God who alone is judge and king of the world.

Mike Yaconelli once wrote, "No wonder I have such a difficult time with judgmental people.  I am one of them.  No wonder I criticize judgemental people so loudly.  If I scream loud enough maybe no one will hear the judgement dripping from my own voice."

So Jesus offers us a far more effective alternative:  compassion.  In the story of Jesus healing the man born blind in John 9:1-7, while the disciple are debating if he is blind because he sinned or his father sin (judging him right in front of his face!) Jesus simply looks at him.  He stops what he's doing, doesn't say a word, and just looks.  He sees a man in need of light.  He doesn't judge him other than to judge the situation: an opportunity to bring glory to God.  He touches, he gives hope...and he is profoundly effective.  Throughout the gospels, we find Jesus approaching tragically broken people and, instead of explaining their sin and its consequences, healed them, touched them, looked at them as people.  When he spoke of sin, it was after the healing when he said, "go and sin no more."

Judging is quick, it doesn't need to see anything because it knows all the categories and answers, involves a lot of talking, is sure of itself, and works best from a superior position.

Looking, showing compassion, is slow, quiet, listening, understanding, outside of any need to justify oneself, and works best when you are side by side with someone, turning them gently to face forward.

This week, as we walk or drive around and see baristas, pedestrians, homeless, handicapped, co-workers, elderly, neighbors, children and spouse, may we all really look at them...as Jesus did.  Put aside our easy, safe, judgemental separation and draw near, understand, and show compassion.

I was listening to the radio yesterday and there was a report about a baseball player making a confession that he used steroids.  He apologized.  He recognized using bad judgement.  He tried to explain why he didn't come foward sooner.  He asked to be given the chance to put the past behind him and move on.

We get the feeling that confessions should be hard.  They happen when we've done something really wrong, gotten caught, tried everything we could think of to escape the consequences and evade public acknowlegment...and then, when all options were exhausted, we finally confess, and hope for forgiveness.

But the Bible's idea of confession is much different.  It's supposed to be as much a part of abundant living as breathing, eating, being in relationships, and pursuing our calling.  If we don't make confession a part of our living, we will be out of balance, self-centered, out of focus.

The words for confession in the Bible are "yada" in the Hebrew and "homologeo" in Greek which mean literally "acknowledge."  Its the work of perceiving, assenting to, and aligning with what's really going on.

In Christian scriptures, confessing can have two senses.   The first is to acknowledge the reality of God and the fact that you are called to also acknowledge the relationship God offers and the belief which comes with it.  This is "confession of faith."  Jesus talks about the importance of confession when he says "Whoever acknowledges me before people, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32).  The Apostle Paul talked about how "believing in your heart" also means "confessing with your lips" that Jesus Christ is Lord.  And confessing your faith isn't just about proclaiming what you believe, it also means testifying in your lifestyle, in how you treat others, in the values you carry each day.  In the history of the chuch, confessions were sometimes written down and corporately approved to combat false teaching, but also to witness to the surrounding culture the reality of the Savior and Lord it gave its highest allegiance.

The second sense of confession is the one we probably think of first - confession of sin.  It's interesting that the Hebrew word "yada" can mean confession of sin and expression of praise or thanks.  Like the confessions of people in the news, we think they are a matter of last resort, when we've hit rock bottom, when all excuses and explanations fall flat.  Confessing is supposed to HURT!!  But actually, confession of sin is an acknowledgement of a basic and consistent truth: we mess up, fall short, do what we shouldn't and don't do what we should...all the time.  For people with no hope in Christ, sin is simply death.  It's an inescapable existence of depravity.  But through the cross, Christ wipes out the guilt of sin for past, present and future. We are covered with his righteousness and freed to live abundantly in God's forgiveness, grace, and a life of abandonment and joy in the Spirit!  Confession of sin is the spiritual practice of reorienting ourselves back to that good news.  I John 1:9 says that "if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

If you feel like confession is a last resort, or self-defeating, or a guilt-ridden process...it's time to throw out your old definitions of confession!  It's meant to be an acknowledgment of who God is, who you are, and what God has done and continues to do in Christ- heal us and bring us into new life!

Confession is also something we do together.  In the Old Testament, the act of confession was frequently public and done in the presence of the community and as an act of the whole community.  In other words, it's an integral part of corporate worship and not meant something for private devotion alone.  It's really a both/and.  Private confession allows you to speak directly, humbly and honestly...in a spirit of brokenness...about how you specifically fall short and continue to be dependent on His spirit to bring you into abundant life.  Corporate confession helps us see that we are all in the same boat.  No one has a claim of spiritual superiority or the right to be "Confessor" instead of "confesser."  We all stand before the throne of God as sinners in need of a Savior, to whom one has come with light and life in his healing hands!  Praise be to God!

See you at Vine!

Pastor Craig